A wide variety of compressor systems are used for compressing gas. Piston compressors, axial compressors, centrifugal compressors and rotary screw compressors are all well-known and widely used. Compressing gas produces heat, and with increased gas temperature the compression process can suffer in efficiency. Removing heat during the compression process can improve efficiency. Moreover, compressor equipment can suffer from fatigue or performance degradation where temperatures are uncontrolled. For these reasons, compressors are commonly equipped with cooling mechanisms.
Compressor cooling generally is achieved by way of introducing a coolant fluid into the gas to be compressed and/or cooling the compressor equipment itself via internal coolant fluid passages, radiators and the like. Compressor equipment cooling strategies suffer from various disadvantages relative to certain applications.